ORDINANCE NO. _______, SERIES 2021
TITLE
AN ORDINANCE ADDING A NEW SECTION TO THE LOUISVILLE METRO CODE OF ORDINANCES CHAPTER 91 TO ADDRESS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN
ANIMAL ABUSE AND INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE (AMENDMENT BY SUBSTITUTION).
BODY
SPONSORED BY: COUNCIL MEMBERS MCCRANEY AND PARKER
WHEREAS, in homes where intentional
animal abuse has occurred, evidence demonstrates there is an increased probability that some other type of interpersonal violence is also happening;
WHEREAS,
animal welfare, law enforcement, domestic violence and child welfare agencies across the United States are working together more and more in recognition of "the Link", the indisputable tie between
animal abuse and crimes against people, particularly within the family;
WHEREAS, research supports "the Link" between acts of cruelty to
animals and violence toward humans including child
abuse, domestic violence, elder
abuse, and other abusive behavior;
WHEREAS, in a 2017 study of
animal abuse court cases, 82% of the defendants had committed other crimes. The list in order of frequency: intimate partner
abuse, assault, child or elder
abuse, drugs, weapons, gambling, and gang-related crimes;1
WHEREAS, a landmark 1997 study by the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals and Northeastern University found that
animal abusers are five times as likely to also harm other humans;2
WHEREAS, in the 1997 study, out of 53 families who met the legal criteria for child
abuse and neglect, 60% of these families
abused or neglected companion
animals. In 88% of the families where there was physical
abuse of the children, there was
animal abuse;
WHEREAS, a study of women seeking shelter at a safe house showed that 71% of those having pets affirmed that their partner had threatened, hurt or killed their companion
animals;3
WHEREAS, in a groundbreaking 2018 study, the FBI Behavioral Science Unit found that in 59.9% of the
animal cruelty cases, the offenders engaged in interpers...
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